Their positioning makes the western ghats biologically rich and biogeographically unique a. The western ghats is one amongst the 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. Biodiversity in the western ghats is threatened by a variety of human pressures. These rare areas are called biodiversity hotspots and there are only 25 in the whole world. Forest cover has declined by up to 50 per cent in parts of uttara kannada district of karnataka and the evergreens in kerala face a threat of extinction. A total of 28 plants in the brahma database are found in western ghats. Predicting the distribution pattern of small carnivores in. The overall deforestation is reported to have accelerated over recent decades.
Western ghats of india is one of the richest hotspot of biological diversity in the world and harbour 38 eastand 27 westflowing rivers to drain the entire watershed region and other wetlands. Western ghatsbiodiversity, people, conservation covers a wide range of topics including the geological history, origin and evolution of biodiversity. A total of 22 plants in the brahma database are found in eastern ghats. It is one among worlds 8 hottest biodiversity hotspots. A unique repository of information on indias biodiversity. Dec 09, 2014 the western ghats is part of the western ghatssri lanka biodiversity hotspot. The jog falls, one of the most spectacular falls in the western ghats ecoregion. Includes entire northeastern india, except assam and andaman group of islands and myanmar, thailand, vietnam, laos, cambodia and southern china. Geographical indications associated crops and biodiversity in the. Much has been published on the subject since its first appearance at the national forum on biodiversity in september, 1986, the proceedings of which became the bestseller, biodiversity. The western ghats again find a place in the news after the announcement of the. The loss of populations, species, or groups of species from an ecosystem can upset its normal function and disrupt these ecological services. In india we have 320 million hectares of land, and 200 million hectares of exclusive economic zone in the sea, within which are distributed some 120, 000 known and perhaps another.
Iucn red list unit, freshwater biodiversity unit all located in cambridge. Pdf diversity, distribution and assemblage structure of. Western ghats and sri lanka hotspot, one of 34 global biodiversity hotspots for. Ghats of india in 15 localities and i vegetation types during 67 transects, each 600 m long, and traversed. Invertebrate diversity and conservation in the western. The western ghats alone also stands at a close fourth position with 103. Nearly 45,000 species of plants and twice as many of animals have been recorded from india. Biodiversity provides many key benefits to humans that go beyond the mere provision of raw materials. Western ghats play a crucial role in discussions pertaining to biogeography of peninsular india because practically all of peninsular indias en. The entire western ghats is known for its biodiversity, richness and endemism of different species. Western ghats of india is one of the richest hotspot of biological diversity in the world and harbour 38 eastand 27 westflowing rivers to drain the entire watershed region and other wetlands which are the natural abode of numerous aquatic animals including fishes. The loss of biodiversity is dangerous and its consequences are immediate. The himalaya hotspot is home to the worlds highest mountains.
Abstract aim we examined how contrasted climatic conditions influenced the ecological and phylogenetic diversity of tropical trees at the. Species diversity, endemism and distribution of land. Geographical indications and biodiversity in the western. Species diversity, endemism and distribution of land snails. The western ghats is richly credited with varied kind of vegetation and unimaginable topographical features. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world. Western ghats and its conservation significance is a very tough and complex subject, just like the mountain ranges. Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2.
Their positioning makes the western ghats biologically rich and biogeographically unique a veritable treasure house of biodiversity. The size of the cells was determined by the number of plots that could be sampled within a. Tourism in forest areas of western ghatsjanuary 2011. In particular, the level of endemicity for some of the 45,000. The western ghats region of indian subcontinent is one of the globally recognized biodiversity hotspots that has an unestimated wealth of biodiversity.
It highlights the diversity of life in the region starting from microorganisms and moves on to analyse and discuss the ways in which the different species of plants and animals have naturally. The methodology developed to assess biodiversity over the western ghats using remote sensing, involves a synthesis of information derived at several spatial scales. Gower,5 rohan pethiyagoda,4 kim roelants,1 an mannaert,1 mark wilkinson,5 mohomed m. Only about 5% of natural habitats remain in relatively pristine condition, with another 10 to 25% of the land in damaged, but ecologically functional, condition.
The western ghats contain exceptional levels of plant and animal diversity and endemicity for a continental area. Diversity, distribution and assemblage structure of fishes were studied in 10 selected streams of southern western ghats. The life supporting and biodiversity rich ecosystems of western ghats are threatened today due to habitat pressures. Dr manju vasudevan sharma conservation team, keystone foundation, kotagiri, the nilgiris, tamil nadu, india. The red line shows the average change acrossallcombinations ofgenes,species,ortraits. The western ghats is an evolutionary ecotone illustrating out of africa and out of asia hypotheses on species dispersal and vicariance. Indoburma is one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots, due to the rate of resource exploitation and habitat loss. Though the western ghats have shrunk by 25% over the past two decades, the environment. Of the total 325 globally threatened species in the western ghats, 129 are classified as vulnerable, 145 as endangered and 51 as critically endangered.
South western ghats moist forests and western ghats rivers are categorized as critically endangered by wwf under the 200 priority eco regions in the world. The ghats is well known for its biodiversity, where we can find a variety of flora and fauna. The information on few of the endemic species is gathered and a region specific list is given below. The concept of biodiversity has provoked considerable debate and misunderstanding among the general public, decisionmakers, and even the scientific community. Finally, the author calls for urgent attention for generating the trained manpower in taxonomy for shouldering this big responsibility of inventorization and conservation of the rich biodiversity of western ghats.
Species diversity, endemism and distribution of land snails of the western ghats, india n. Norman myers included the western ghats amongst the 25 biodiversity hotspots identified in the world. Phylogenetic diversity in the western ghats biodiversity hotspot. It is believed that the ecosystems with undiminished species biodiversity conservation. Includes the entire indian himalayan region and that falling in pakistan, tibet, nepal, bhutan, china and myanmar 2. These include drinkable water, clean air, and fertile soils. World conservation monitoring centre wcmc considers it as one of the important area of freshwater biodiversity. We divided the biligiri rangaswamy temple wildlife sanctuary, in karnataka, india lat. It protects intangible eco nomic assets such as the quality and repu tation of a product through market differenti ation. Threats and constraints potato alone providing 60%. From the hot arid deserts of the sahara, through the lush green rainforests of the amazon, to the ocean depths and bright corals, our natural world is a marvel of different landscapes, materials, colours and textures.
The diversity of societies, cultures and languages that has developed throughout human history is intimately related to biodiversity and its use. Also, about 30 mammalian and bird species are used extensively, but just 15 of them account for over 90 per cent of global livestock production. The western ghats are often in the news due to constant threat to their biodiversity. Kalaiselvi department of plant pathology, centre for plant protection studies, tamil nadu agricultural university. Western ghats or sahyadri is an ancient, mountain system of india and is one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots.
The worlds most biodiversity hotspot is home to 508 species of bird,which are also found in the nilgiri biosphere reserve. It is the source of water for the entire peninsular india, and also influences the monsoons. Biodiversity of western ghats india please mention habitat and provide descriptions when filling in spotttings. Freshwater biodiversity assessments in western ghats indian biodiversity on a portal. Conservation genetics of endemic indirana frogs of the. Appropriate conservation strategies have to be implemented immediately to protect the fragile habitats of many such medicinal plants. The sampling was performed between april 2001 and march 2002. A great deal of research has been carried out in the region, however, awareness.
Western ghats fact finding report as part of our advocacy work on the conservation of the western ghats, we met with senior officials at the ministry of environment, forests, and climate change in delhi on 17th december, 2014. The western ghats, a unesco world heritage site, is a biodiversity hotspot that is home to more than 4,000 flowering plants, about 500 bird species, and over 300 species of mammals and amphibians. Problems and prospects associated with the bioprospection of the floristic diversity are discussed. Western ghats biodiversity is a significant source of moisture for monsoon. Numerous forms of stability have been described, and there is no theoretical reason to believe that biodiversity should enhance all forms. About the western ghats the hill ranges of the western ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot, extend along the west coast of india from the river tapti in the north to the southern tip of india.
Though covering an area of 180,000km 2, or just under 6 per cent of the land area of india, the western ghats contain more than 30 per cent of all plant, fish, herpetofauna, bird, and mammal species found in india. Species name common name common hindi name habitat details. The western ghats is the home for about 50 million people belonging to the six states of the country. This project developed an educational cdrom and posters on the biodiversity of the western ghats in india. Western ghats assessment report pdf pecies summariesiii s pecies maps and point localitiesiv s. Diversity and functional roles of arthropod fauna across agricultural landscapes, nilgiri biosphere reserve, western ghats, india. Biodiversity also supplies indirect services to humans which are often taken for granted.
State of biodiversity in maharashtra western ghatsapn project. State of biodiversity in maharashtra western ghats. Report submitted to the rufford small grants foundation, uk. Apr 25, 2017 the biodiversity hotspot of the western ghats, india. A survey was conducted in the anaikatti, attapadi, palghat, siruvani, nilgiris and kallar regions of the western ghats of india during 2008.
Predicting the distribution pattern of small carnivores in response to environmental factors in the western ghats riddhika kalle1, tharmalingam ramesh1, qamar qureshi2, kalyanasundaram sankar3 1wildlife institute of india, dehra dun, uttarakhand, india, 2department of landscape ecology, wildlife institute of india, dehra dun, uttarakhand, india, 3department of. At least 325 globally threatened species occur here. Seven new species of night frogs anura, nyctibatrachidae from. Biodiversity loss has negative effects on several aspects of human wellbeing, such as food security, vulnerability to natural disasters, energy security, and access to clean water and raw materials.
India is home to 3 such hotspots, namely the western ghats, eastern himalayas and indoburma region. Consensus statement two there is mounting evidence that biodiversity increases the stability of ecosystem functions through time. Balancing agriculture and rainforest biodiversity in india. The western ghats, also known as the sahyadri hills, are well known for their rich and unique assemblage of flora and fauna. Biodiversity threats weston w sechrest,university of virginia, charlottesville, virginia, usa thomas m brooks, center for applied biodiversity science conservation international, washington dc, usa any direct or indirect human activity that threatens the planets biological diversity in the. A unesco world heritage site and a biodiversity hotspot, the western ghats ecoregion is a storehouse of natural treasures found nowhere else in the world. Among the several steps taken for conservation of the biodiversity, the following are important a india is a signatory to all international conventions on biodiversity b biological diversity bill 2000 and national and state biodiversity boards for all states established c forty seven plant species from india are included in cites and.
It also affects human health, social relations, and freedom of choice. Frogs anura, nyctibatrachidae from the western ghats biodiversity. This publication documents the utility of the portal in uncovering new range extensions. Balancing agriculture and rainforest biodiversity in indias western ghats by jeremy hance on 8 august 2011 an asian elephant wanders through tea fields in the western ghats. There are indications that the projected changes in temperature and co 2 concentration may alter growth, reproduction and hostpathogen relationships in both plants and animals. While large tracts of forests were converted to tea and monoculture, the approach to agriculture within the indigenous communities has been fundamentally ecological.
Like other biodiversity hotspots, the western ghats has a high proportion of endemic species. Why india must protect the western ghats from getting lost it could become a model for the entire country. The western ghats endemic birds are the most beautiful malabar parakeet, nilgiri woodpigeon, malabar grey horn bill, greyheaded bulbul, nilgiri flycatcher and other giant flying predators. Freshwater biodiversity assessments in western ghats. Patterns of butterfly, bird and tree diversity in the. General introduction biodiversity of western ghats india is recognized as one of the worlds 12 megabiodiversity nations. Why india must protect the western ghats from getting lost. It is a unesco world heritage site and is one of the eight.
State of biodiversity in maharashtra erach bharucha director bharati vidyapeeth institute of environment education and research, pune email. The main aim of this project was to generate awareness about biodiversity of the region as well as environmental issues pertaining to this hotspot. Western ghats biodiversity is a significant source of. To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two criteria. Madhava meegaskumbura,3,4 natalie beenaerts,1 david j. Due to their high levels of biodiversity, the western ghats have been recog. A geographical indication gi is a form of protection highlighted in the trade related aspects of intellectual property rights trips agreement of the world trade orga nization wto. The western ghats, also known as sahyadri benevolent mountains, are a mountain range that covers an area of 140,000 square kilometres 54,000 sq mi in a stretch of 1,600 kilometres 990 mi parallel to the western coast of the indian peninsula, traversing the states of kerala, tamil nadu, karnataka, goa, maharashtra and gujarat. Rain forest, disturbed forest, open grassland, fields, creek sides, in open areas often a sprawling shrub. Norman myers included the western ghats amongst the 25 biodiversity hotspots identified in the world the western ghats extend from the satpura range in the north, go south past goa, through karnataka and into kerala and tamil nadu end at kanyakumari embracing indian ocean.
The globally threatened flora and fauna in the western ghats are represented by 229 plant species, 31 mammal species, 15 bird species, 43 amphibian species, 5 reptile species and 1 fish species. The biodiversity hotspot of the western ghats, india. Spottings of pets, domesticated or caged animals and garden plants are not eligible for this mission. Developing educational material on the western ghats, a. Both the western ghats and sri lankas central highlands are particularly known for their amphibian diversity. Jan 12, 2015 the western ghats is the home for about 50 million people belonging to the six states of the country. Patterns of butterfly, bird and tree diversity in the western ghats krushnamegh kunte, ajit jogiekart, ghate utkarsht. It has rich and unique assemblage of flora and fauna mi ttermeier et al. The western ghats also hosts many medicinal plants that are endemic to the area.
The western ghats is part of the western ghatssri lanka biodiversity hotspot. The western ghats are the mountain groups running parallel to the western coast of the indian peninsula. Diversity and functional roles of arthropod fauna across. The mountains of the western ghats in peninsular india are a global.
465 265 1485 476 1301 1416 608 1026 158 1069 1171 488 871 1233 1224 1268 1126 971 991 1584 569 1440 443 1327 1092 572 828 250 42 1024 121